The first Police Officers are now beginning their training under the new educational programs of PCDA and DHEP so the emphasis of the PEQF Board is now moving away from development of the programmes to implementation and development. There is now a broader remit for the future plans with the concept of a Police Education Framework being rolled out to PC to Sgt, Detective Constables and Investigations and, more importantly for UNISON, Police Staff roles starting with PCSO’s, where there are already PCSO apprenticeships underway in some areas.
There are now 11 forces that have gone live with PCDA including West Midlands Police which is the largest force so far. Welsh Forces have gone live with DHEP. There are differences between the Welsh and English PCDA programs due to some legislation which has introduced delays, and in particular as there is a need to offer all undergraduate education in Wales in the Welsh language.
Whilst it is all looking good on paper there are a number of Forces raising concerns about the program with the main concerns based on abstractions for protected learning time, and the costs of implementation for forces, especially around attrition rates for those students who drop out of the training, or who do not pass the assessments. Whilst the education programs are fairly standard, each force has put in place its own implementation plan which has caused difficulties with consistency. Lincolnshire Police is now taking legal action against the College of Policing over concerns that the PEQF will place the public at risk with the levels of abstraction and cost, drawing resources away from the front line.
The Prime Minister’s promise of police officer numbers being increased by 20,000 will be a significant challenge to PEQF, if it can be delivered in the 3 year time frame proposed, as the increased capacity on the training programs to accommodate an additional 20,000 officers has not been planned for.
Concerns have been raised around the misalignment between education for Police Officers and Police Staff. There was advice given from education professionals from the NHS around nursing education where Nurse training required a degree qualification and other NHS employees were left behind. This had a significant detrimental impact on non-nursing staff and impacted on morale and teams. It will need to be pushed forward that Police Staff need similar educational opportunities so that standards of training for Police Staff match those for Police Officers in future.
An equality impact assessment (EIA) has been produced around the planned PCSO education route which will see formal qualifications at level 4 with a 2 year program. UNISON has asked a number of questions around that as the EIA was based on incomplete information regarding some aspects of diversity. For example there is information on BAME statistics, but data on disability and sexuality is harder to establish as it requires people to self-declare information they may not wish to be known. UNISON has asked that Forces should do their own EIA’s which the College of Policing can collate and monitor to ensure that local demographics are taken into consideration.
UNISON has also raised concerns around the pool for recruitment where a proportion of PCSO and PC students will always be recruited from within Police Forces. This means that, as we do not currently have a workforce that is reflective of diversity in society, there is a danger of the Police Service becoming more insular unless the wider Police Staff recruitment plans are made more inclusive. This process has identified that the data around diversity in the police workforce is lacking and more needs to be done to not only increase diversity but also to ensure people feel confident to declare when they have a protected, or diverse, characteristic. The ongoing impact of formal education being introduced to the Police Service is now subject to constant monitoring and the EIA’s will be reviewed every 6 months as new information becomes available.
Recruitment and retention strategies are being developed by the College of Policing and there is a plan to have a national strategy for promoting the Police as a career. A national advertising campaign was mentioned similar to the sort of advertising campaigns we see to encourage people to join the armed forces. UNISON has asked this should not just be based around Police Officers, but on Policing careers and the whole range of officer and staff roles that make policing effective.
There are discussions around the existing workforce who may not be able to now embark on formal vocational training but who would like recognition for their prior experience and learning during their careers. There has been an emphasis on certificating Police Officer and PCSO education but those who have been working for the police for many years who have training and experience and who may find themselves mentoring new recruits have nothing to recognise them as being qualified in any way. Recognition of prior experiential learning is going to be looked at so that existing staff do not feel left behind. A spin off workgroup to give consideration to the wider existing workforce is being arranged as part of the PEQF board and UNISON has requested to have a seat on that workgroup as it is very relevant to existing Police Staff education and recognition of existing skills.